Category Archives: PT6A

Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) celebrated the production of its 100,000th engine this month, as a testament to P&WC’s longevity and leadership in the global aerospace market. P&WC is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).

Today, P&WC has 60,000 in-service engines operated by 12,300 customers in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. Its engine families span across general aviation, regional turboprops, business aviation, civil helicopters and auxiliary power units (APUs), and total an impressive 730 million flight hours logged.

The company has a rich history of innovation, powered by its world-class employees and P&WC investment in technology. Every second, a P&WC-powered aircraft takes off or lands somewhere on the planet. These flights matter: powering humanitarian missions, emergency medical services, search and rescue, reuniting families, driving commerce, and so much more. Operators around the world bring their P&WC engines back home to P&WC facilities for maintenance and repair to sustain these missions.

P&WC’s success has been built through numerous achievements in all of its 14 engine families:

The PT6A engine helped define General Aviation and ushered in a new generation of fast and versatile small aircraft. While PT6A technology has powered 128 different applications since its introduction, its benchmark reliability enabled the PT6A to be the only engine to achieve single-engine IFR status for passenger revenue activity in North America, Australia and now Europe.

P&WC has been a leader in the Regional Turboprop segment for more than 30 years and counting with the PW100/150 family of engines.

P&WC’s industry-leading families of helicopter engines include the PT6T Twin-Pac®, the PT6B/PT6C, as well as the PW200/PW210.

P&WC pioneered the light business jet market with the JT15D engine and then redefined it with the PW500 engine. The PW300 engine, the heart of mid-size and large cabin business aircraft, introduced full authority digital engine control (FADEC) technology on business jet engines, and features low emissions combustor technologies, while the PW600 drove a series of innovative manufacturing changes at P&WC, such as the moving line concept. P&WC’s latest addition to its turbofan engine offering, the PurePower® PW800, brings fundamental change to the large business jet segment, powering the Gulfstream G500 and G600 next-generation long-range and ultra-long range business jets. At the heart of the PW800 is the durable, rigorously tested core technology shared with Pratt & Whitney’s award-winning PurePower Geared Turbofan™ commercial aircraft engines.

Introducing a new standard of reliability with its PW901, P&WC’s fleet of auxiliary power units (APUs) equip a variety of commercial aircraft including jets and turboprops flown by regional airlines, and narrow and wide-body aircraft flown by major commercial airlines.

In the coming weeks and months, P&WC will continue to celebrate its 100,000th engine milestone, recognizing all the families of products and many accomplishments that have marked P&WC’s journey.

About Pratt & Whitney Canada

Founded in 1928, P&WC is a global leader in aerospace that is shaping the future of aviation with dependable, high-technology engines. Based in Longueuil, Quebec (Canada), P&WC is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides high-technology systems and services to the global aerospace and building systems industries.

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The success of the PC-6 Porter is built around its STOL capabilities. This feature makes it very sought-after for missions such as international relief, firefighting, medevac, parachuting, search and rescue, and even sightseeing.

High-tech sensors and systems may not be the only way to monitor engine health. Pratt & Whitney Canada has embarked on a project called Oil Analysis Technology, applying it first to the PT6A engine. But Program Manager Frederique Richard says the approach may have much wider applications.

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VERO BEACH, Fla., December 12, 2016 – Piper Aircraft, Inc. was granted a type certification for its top-of-the-line, single-engine M600 by Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) on September 20, 2016, paving the way for the launch of flights by owner operators in the region.

“This is a significant milestone for the Piper M600,” said Piper Aircraft CEO Simon Caldecott. “Australian owner/operators have shown great interest in the range and safety proposition offered by the M600 equipped with the Garmin G3000 avionics suite, the most sophisticated in the class. Operators tell us they are very keen on the greater range and enhanced safety features they say makes the 600 the best value in the class.”

About M600

The M600, the most advanced and capable aircraft in Piper’s M-class line up, seats six and is powered by Pratt & Whitney PT6A-42A turboprop engine flat rated at 600 SHP. The aircraft has a maximum speed of 274 ktas / 507 km/h at maximum available power. The M600 features the most sophisticated general aviation avionics suite available from Garmin. The Garmin G3000 offers industry-leading intuitiveness and powerful avionics capabilities. Innovative pilot interface design allows for easy and efficient flight deck management, increasing safety margins and reducing pilot workload. Ergonomically crafted for the pilot, control of radios, audio and intercom channels, transponder codes, charts, mapping, flight plan entry and system set up have been greatly simplified with the Garmin GTC 570 touchscreen controller. The dual GTC 570s provide a centralized point of access for the majority of all avionics tuning, selection and data inputs. The M600 has enhanced safety features including Emergency Descent Mode, Electronic Stability Protection, Level Model and Underspeed / Overspeed Protection.

The aesthetics, ergonomics and technologies of the new Piper M600 aircraft redefine comfort and convenience. The M600 interior features newly styled seats, which have been optimized for comfort, as well as enhanced side panels with improved passenger interface. Additionally, three new color palettes have thoughtfully been created with the customer in mind. A comprehensive survey process helped identify the features and attributes that would be most appreciated by both pilots and customers including USB charging ports, executive folding tables, and folding seats.

The 2016 M600 is listed at a competitive price of $2.853 million.

About Piper Aircraft

Piper Aircraft Inc., headquartered in Vero Beach, Fla., offers aviators throughout the world efficient and reliable single- and twin-engine aircraft. The single-engine M-Class series – the M600, M500, M350 and Matrix – offers businesses and individuals elegant performance and value. The Twin Class Seneca V and Seminole balance proven performance, efficiency, and simplicity in twin-engine aircraft. The Trainer Class Warrior, Archer TX, Archer DX, Arrow, Seminole and Seneca V aircraft form the most complete technically-advanced line of pilot training aircraft in the world. All Piper airplanes feature advanced Garmin avionics in the cockpit. Piper is a member of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.

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Turbine Conversions, Ltd. and Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) have signed a long-term contract for the sale of PT6A-21 engines to power the recently announced Cessna 206 turbine conversion. P&WC is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.

Turbine Conversions has been converting aircraft using P&WC engines since 1990, but company president Bill Hatfield first encountered the PT6 engine when he installed a PT6A-34AG engine in his Grumman Ag Cat in 1975.

“I still fly my Grumman Ag Cat, and that PT6A-34AG engine continues to serve me well after more than 40 years,” said Hatfield, one of the most respected and well-known pioneers of the agricultural industry. “The relationships I have built with P&WC employees over the years have likewise endured and helped empower our business and those of our own clients. We are delighted to have struck yet another arrangement with P&WC to power our Cessna 206 conversion.”

“Turbine Conversions has consistently demonstrated its understanding of the factors that drive successful conversion programs,” said Denis Parisien, vice-president, General Aviation, P&WC. “With the 206 turbine conversion program, our PT6A-21 engines will replace piston engines so operators of the converted aircraft will benefit from a considerable increase in power, better hot and high performance and a TBO [time between overhaul] of 3,600 hours. Combined with that is our OEM [original equipment manufacturer] warranty and a global customer support network that is second to none.”

The PT6A engine boasts powerful performance and unmatched versatility. PT6 technology has powered 125 different applications since its introduction. More than 46,000 PT6 engines have been manufactured, with 23,000 now in service. The engine has logged more than 375 million flight hours.

“Anyone can say they’re the best; we have the numbers to prove it,” said Parisien. “It’s more than an engine. The PT6A engine offers the best of both worlds: Its proven technology is built upon a remarkable body of engineering achievement that has written new chapters in aviation history in collaboration with our customers, and it’s also this technology that continues to make new aircraft applications possible. We’re already moving on to the next innovation.”

The PT6A engine’s flexible architecture and modular reverse-flow design simplify installation in both single- and twin-engine installations as well as tractor and pusher propeller configurations. Simple on-wing maintenance is possible for most tasks, whereas other engines might need a shop visit.